Presidency Criticizes Cardinal Onaiyekan's Remarks

The Presidency, through Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, criticized Archbishop Emeritus John Cardinal Onaiyekan for his remarks during an Arise TV interview. Onaiyekan referenced observations made by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria regarding Nigeria's economy and insecurity after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement titled "When the Cassock Abandons the Pulpit: The Bishops’ Partisan Mirage and Opposition Echoes," Dare accused Onaiyekan of acting in bad faith and as a proxy for opposition political elements. He expressed disappointment that the bishops did not provide spiritual counsel but instead engaged in partisan posturing.

Dare defended Tinubu's administration, stating that reducing his efforts to a narrative of failure is intellectually dishonest, emphasizing that Tinubu inherited a challenging situation from the late President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023.